The 2nd ‘KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE’ trailer is better than the 1st, but still unremarkable

Channing Tatum and Taron Egerton in KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. Courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

I’ll have to hand it to 20th Century Fox – and maybe also those filmmakers behind KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. After the (in my humble opinion) disastrous first trailer, at least they took to heart the sweeping suggestions I made in my rage-induced riot act (which you can read here). For their second attempt at recapturing my love of this franchise, they put the icksnay on the objectification of women, said “no more” to hiding of the new cast members, and threw out “My Way.” That said, they still fail to give us fans something that truly takes our breath away. It’s better than before, but not its best yet.

Take a look at the red band trailer:

There’s a leveling-up on the bombastic stunt-work, bonkers props (That electric lasso, y’all! That briefcase rocket launcher!) and logical expansion of the elite networks. This is clearly being done with the best intentions and in the right ways sequels worth any merit can do. It’ll be inherently fun to see the filmmakers build out the KINGSMAN universe even further than before. That said, it still feels expected rather than electric.

Dare I say that maybe I’m not getting that spark because it might be missing from this sequel? A fan (like myself), hopes that they are keeping the goods hidden still and that the final product will ultimately deliver satisfaction. But I dunno, guys. There’s a tangible quality these trailers are lacking.